Emmanuel Baptist Rochester

I have recently been impressed with the persistent call to holiness that has resonated in our church's laymen sermons. I must admit, it has led me to some deeper introspection than which I would typically subject myself. It has called into question, most especially, how I spend my time, my thoughts, and my energies. We all, I think, need constant reminder that we have but one life to live, and it is not our own. It’s with that thought in mind that I submit to you these gleanings from Jim Cymbala’s classic, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. It is my heart’s desire that as we look towards the calendar event of our upcoming Renewal Services, we will do the hard work now of preparing, prayerfully, for God to speak and move.

My Prayer Requests

1. That I not merely “mark time,” lest my life slip by without seeing God show Himself mightily on our behalf. (Chapter 1)

2. That we would sense our need to pray, and would want to pray, the more we do it. (Ch. 3)

3. That we as a people would never grow lax in our spirit of brokenness and the need for calling on God. (Ch. 3)

4. That I and my church would be marked by a spirit of prayerfulness, which is a defining mark of a Christian (Acts 2:42) and the people of God (Deut. 4:7). (Ch. 4)

5. That I would not succumb to the anti-authority spirit in America that says, “Nobody can tell me I need to change.” May I be humble and wide open to correction. (Ch. 8)

6. That in revival, our “congregation does the preaching,” so that there’s no need of preachers or musicians, simply “God’s dwelling in close communion with His people.” (Ch. 8)

7. That I remember that “the first step in any spiritual awakening is demolition. We cannot make headway in seeking God without first tearing down the accumulated junk in our souls. Rationalizing has to cease. We have to start seeing the sinful debris we hadn’t noticed before, which is what holds back the blessing of God.” (Ch. 10)

8. That I always seek to draw nearer to God, lest I fall away, since there is no holding pattern or middle ground. (Ch. 10)

9. That I never believe myself to have attained, but that I persistently press on toward the goal to which I have been called heavenward (Phil. 3:14). (Ch. 10)

10. That I will step out and take risks for the sake of His glory, not sheltering myself under “Bible discussions among ourselves, or complaining to others about the horrible state of today’s society.” (Ch. 11)

I pray this is helpful, brothers and sisters. Whatever your prayer, may it be persistent towards the end of seeing God’s visible glory in our lives. “As for me and my house,” we will “humble ourselves, prayerfully seeking His face, and (may it be so, Lord) turn from our wicked ways.”